Accessorise with sublimated tote bags

One of the great things about sublimation is that it can be applied to so many different products, which means an abundance of creativity on your end. From personalisation to trendy apparel products, sublimation can play a major role. Jimmy Lamb, Sawgrass’ education manager, reports.

In the apparel world, sublimation is mostly done on T shirts. Which is fine, except when you want to do something more upscale.

Because sublimation only bonds with polyester, it can be difficult to kind products that are both trendy and compatible with the process. Certainly, there are sublimators who are doing fantastic imaging on T shirts and getting great margins because of the quality and uniqueness of the artwork, but for most of us a T shirt is a T shirt is a T shirt.

A different approach for those seeking to produce higher end products for the upscale retail apparel market is to think about accessories rather than clothing. Tote bags can be an excellent way to go.

An excellent way to go

Sublimatable tote bags come in a wide range of styles and textures. Promotional totes, tend to look and feel very low end, and will not be a good choice. The material is stiff which can lead to permanent wrinkles during production. On the other hand, some manufacturers have been developing new product lines that feature fabric that looks and feels like cotton. Such fabric is soft and supple to the touch and some even have a textured surface. Yet the material is still polyester.

Most of these higher-end bags come in white or natural, which are perfect base colours for sublimation. This will make it easier to get your artwork to really come alive when printed.

Once you have found a bag that fits your needs, you have to develop the right kind of artwork to turn your substrate into a masterpiece. In the world of sublimation, the value of the product is typically defined by what is on it, not necessarily what it is. Great imaging on a high-end tote bag will have a much higher perceived value than blasé artwork on the same bag. And price is all about perceived value.

Shoulder bags are typically the way to go with sublimation for the trendy apparel markets but small hand clutches and purses work well too.

Start searching the offerings from your suppliers and see what they have to offer. Order some samples and experiment to see what really works the best. Then get your products out into the marketplace by whatever means gets you the most exposure.